1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a trap of the type that is typical of the plumbing associated with a sink, tub, wash stand, or the like. Said trap has a removable bottom portion to permit the user who is without special tools or plumbing skills to easily clean said bottom portion of debris and/or remove lost articles therefrom.
2. Background Art
Traps have long been used with plumbing fixtures that carry waste water from a sink, or the like, to a suitable disposal site. From time to time, it may be necessary to open the trap to remove debris that has accumulated therein. Such debris is known to block the plumbing and thereby cause waste water to back up into the sink. On other occasions, access to the trap is necessary to remove a valuable article that has come to rest therein after being inadvertently dropped down the drain. One solution to the aforementioned problems has been to run a snake through the plumbing to break up the blockage. Another solution is to call a plumber to manually open the trap so as to remove the debris or lost article therefrom. However, the foregoing solutions may prove to be both expensive and time consuming, because gaining access to the trap is often difficult. Such difficulty is magnified when a workman is subjected to the cramped quarters that are commonly found below a sink top.
It would therefore be desirable to have a reliable means by which to permit the average homeowner to quickly and easily open a trap from a plumbing fixture so that the trap may be cleaned and lost articles removed without requiring special tools or plumbing skills.
An example of a trap having a removable bottom or closure member is available by referring to U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,602 issued Feb. 3, 1976.